If one harbours anywhere in one's mind a nationalistic loyalty or hatred, certain facts, although in a sense known to be true, are inadmissible.
The essential point here is that all people with small, insecure incomes are in the same boat and ought to be fighting on the same side. Probably we could do with a little less talk about' capitalist' and 'proletarian' and a little more about the robbers and the robbed.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the need for unity among people with low incomes against exploitation by the wealthy.
George Orwell emphasizes the importance of solidarity among individuals who experience economic insecurity. Rather than getting caught up in ideological divides such as 'capitalist' or 'proletarian', the focus should be on the fundamental conflict between those who exploit wealth and those who suffer from its absence. This perspective encourages people to recognize their shared struggles and challenges, urging them to unite against a common adversary.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a community meeting discussing economic justice, one might use this quote to highlight the need for collective action among low-income individuals.
More from George Orwell
All quotes →The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
Political writing in our time consists almost entirely of prefabricated phrases bolted together like the pieces of a child's Meccano set. It is the unavoidable result of self-censorship. To write in plain, vigorous language one has to think fearlessly, and if one thinks fearlessly one cannot be politically orthodox.
Not to expose your true feelings to an adult seems to be instinctive from the age of seven or eight onwards.
As with the Christian religion, the worst advertisement for Socialism is its adherents.
It is fatal to look hungry. It makes people want to kick you.
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You are a slave of what you need in your soul.
We're all killers at heart . . . . I have never taken anybody's life, but I have often read obituary notices with considerable satisfaction.
Mary's life was a perfect imitation of Jesus. She was humble, hidden, sorrowful and afflicted, but she also knew joys that never entered the heart of man. She is all things to all men that she might understand their failings, though she failed not.
Without a doubt there are women who would vote intelligently. There are also men who knit socks beautifully.